Help Spencer shine when RAGBRAI visits

May 26, 2017

RAGBRAI is less than 60 days away. Over 12,000 bicycle enthusiasts from around the world will converge on Spencer for an overnight stop on the 45th Annual RAGBRAI trek across Iowa. Preparations for the Spencer event on July 23 are well underway, led by an all-volunteer team challenged to arranging everything from campgrounds and sanitation to transportation and hospitality.

Volunteers are key to the success of hosting RAGBRAI. With an estimated 500 or more local volunteers needed before, during the day and after the event, signing up early makes sure that you can help when you want and where you want.

There are many ways to volunteer for the Spencer RAGBRAI team, the easiest of which is to go to the Spencer website, www.spencerragbrai.com. Simply click on residents, then on volunteer to fill out a submission form that details the area in which you would like to volunteer your time. From that list, individuals will be contacted and placed in time slots.

Hospitality is one area looking for a large number of volunteers. Place and remove signage, sell T-shirts, welcome riders, distribute information and share the Spencer spirit. We’ll need volunteers from mid-morning through evening on July 23 and early morning on July 24 cheering the riders on to Algona.

Jill Barr, hospitality chair said, “Spencer is extremely fortunate to have so many people in the community that have a heart for volunteering. We can’t wait to highlight what a great community we live in and invite people to come back and visit here, live here and play here after RAGBRAI is over.”

Want to share your Spencer knowledge with riders? The information booth is the primary resource for riders as they seek out what to do, what to see and what to know around town. Distribute maps, answer questions, provide directions, refer to services. Help will be needed to set up the information center the evening of July 22, then staffing the booth all day and into the evening on July 23 as well as the morning of July 24.

You can also be a Spencer ambassador by volunteering for the shuttle services. Answer questions, provide route maps, highlight and refer to attractions, shopping opportunities and activities in Spencer. These volunteers are stationed at bus stops as well as on the RIDES buses.

For more information on being a part of the Spencer RAGBRAI 2017 team, email: volunteers@spencerragbrai.com or call the Spencer Chamber of Commerce at 712-262-5680.

Keep up to date with Spencer RAGBRAI information. We encourage you to follow along with the process, and most importantly get involved! Please continue to watch the website www.spencerragbrai.com, Facebook page and especially this column for specific requests and updates! Spencer has a reputation of being one of the best RAGBRAI stops and we want to make sure that as this year’s riders leave town they can’t wait to come back and visit, even if it’s not on two wheels.